Ryan Day, Ohio State agree to new contract, $12.5 million annual salary

Ohio State and head coach Ryan Day have agreed to a new contract, per Lettermen Row’s Spencer Holbrook. It is a seven-year deal that will keep Day at the helm of OSU through 2031. It will add three years onto Day’s pre-existing contract with the school and $12.5 million in total annual compensation.

The $12.5 million per year will make Day the second-highest-paid coach in college football, only trailing Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who makes $13.2 million annually. Dabo Swinney is the only other active coach who has won a national championship and, in no coincidence, is the third-highest-paid coach in the sport.

Day signed his previous contract with the school in 2022. It was a seven-year deal, with a base annual salary of $2 million. Obviously, with endorsements and incentives, Day earns far more per year than the $2 million.

It’s no surprise to see the Buckeyes extend Day’s contract. This past season, he led the program to its first national championship during his tenure and its first, in general, since 2014.

Moreover, Day and his Buckeyes pulled off the feat in stunning fashion. After Ohio State suffered an early loss to Oregon and then lost again to Michigan in their regular-season finale, most college football fans counted the Buckeyes out in the race for the national title.

Ryan Day and Co. didn’t allow the outside noise to affect them. Instead, Ohio State silenced its doubters by winning its four College Football Playoff games by an average margin of 17.5 points per game. Day received a $1 million bonus for winning the national championship.

The success didn’t come easy for Day. After winning a pair of conference titles to kickstart his tenure as OSU’s head coach, Day failed to bring home any substantial accolades for several seasons, constantly suffering losses to Jim Harbaugh and Michigan.

Alas, Day kept his nose to the grindstone, and the hard work paid off. During an appearance on The Joel Klatt Show earlier this week, Day revealed what advice he would give to his younger self.

“The first thing I would tell him is trust your instinct. Trust your instinct and trust the process,” Day said. “The results give you some feedback, but trust the process. Coach the team. Like, just coach the team. Don’t get caught up in everything else that’s going on.

“Just coach the team to make the best decisions you possibly can. Focus on the players, and make sure that you have the right people in the right seats at the end of the day because you’re only as good as the guys around you.”

Ryan Day had plenty of good guys around him this past season. Now, the 44-year-old head coach will look to carry that momentum into 2025 and defend the Buckeyes’ national title.